Robert Scarlett ('Old Scarlett')
Robert Scarlett, or 'Old Scarlett', the cathedral's sexton was something of a local celebrity in the Tudor era. The Peterborough gravedigger lived to the age of 98, with his life spanning the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.
Old Scarlett was said to have buried two people from every family in Peterborough - which may not been an exaggeration, given that the city was ravaged by the plague in the 1570s. He was also involved in the burials of both Katherine and Mary and legend suggests that he may have been the inspiration for the gravedigger in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
In 1594, Old Scarlett finally got a grave on his own. He was buried just inside the cathedral - an unusual honour for common folk. His painting above the west doors looks down upon the cathedral visitors.
